1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a fishing device, and more specifically to a fishing device which holds and jigs a multiplicity of rods.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
Fishing is a recreational sport from many people as well as a profession for many others. Consequently, many devices have been developed to increase the ease and productivity of fishing. The prior art relevant to the present invention concerns those devices which hold multiple rods or facilitate jigging.
The prior art is rich in devices which hold fishing rods, and recently, several patents have issued that disclose holders for a multiplicity of poles. For example, Ridge, U.S. Pat. No. 3,772,816, discloses a fishing rod holder which may be attached to a boat for supporting a plurality of rods in a divergent relation. Mack, U.S. Pat. No. 4,157,803, also teaches a device which holds multiple rods and attaches to a boat. Mack also teaches clamping means to secure the fishing poles to the rod holders. Emory, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 4,527,349 taches a device for trolling with multiple fishing rods. Unlike the other devices, Emory Jr. also discloses provisions for using downriggers. Each of these patents discloses a device which supports a multiplicity of fishing rods, however, none teach nor contain any motivation to jig these fishing rods.
To improve one's chances of catching certain types of fish, fisherman frequently apply a jigging action to the rod. This exercise can be strenuous, however, especially if continued for several hours as fisherman often do. Consequently, devices have been developed to ease the jigging process. For example, Guith II, U.S. Pat. No. 4,581,840, discloses a jigging device which is foot operated and can effectively jig a single rod. Furthermore, Redding, U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,580, teaches a fishing jigging apparatus which permits manual and selective oscillation of a fishing pole. None of the inventions disclosed, however, can jig a multiplicity of rods.
Therefore, the prior art neither offers neither a teaching nor motivation for jigging a multitude of fishing rods in an economical and effective manner, The present invention provides such capability,